Electric sign.



HENRYl lAND HARRY STANFORD WILLIAMS', or sAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

niseaiepi' 1 s I l i. l.' Application f led J'une 30,.

To all whom cmay'concem:

Be it known that we, HENRY. G'. LANE and HARRY STANFORD WILLIAMS,- citizens of the United States, residing at San Diego, in

p the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signs; and ywe do declare the following to be a full, clear, andl exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to useful improvements in electric signs and more particularly to those ofthe indirect radiation type employing a plurality of reflectors for intensifyingI ight rays projected from a source o light within a housing, arranged in the face plate of said housing` corresponding with the shapes of a number of characters.

The object of the invention is to provide al sign of this class having im roved means for detachably securing the re ectors thereof in position, such means serving also toretain in position a plurality of transparent lens plates which prevent' dust and the like from entering the casing through the openings therein.

With this general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and in unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described land claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawing which constitutes a partof the application and in which Figure 1 is a face view of a sign constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof as seen along the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a portion of the face plate and one of the reflectors carried thereby; Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the plane designated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 disclosing the application to use of a supplemental reflector; Fig. 6 is a vertical section of Fig. 5 taken on the plane indicated by the line 6 6. Fig. 7 is a front elevationl of a portion of the sign constructed as disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6.

In these drawings, similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, C designating lights through openings l ELECTRIC SIGN.

.Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June-13, 1916,

1915. Serial No. 87,274.

broadly an appropriate casing or sign box havlng a face plate P provided with a number of preferably circular openings O so dlsposed as torepresent one or more letters, numerals, or other characters. Disposed within the casing C and preferably adjacent the lower side thereof, is a pair of electric L whose rays are to be reflected through the openin s O to illuminate the sign, the radiation o such rays being facilitated bythe reiiectors l shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, or by those indicated at la and 1b 1n Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Each reflector l is here shown in theform of. a metal disk having in one of its edges a slot 2 which ,constitutes an eye, while at its opposite edge and preferably p formed integrallytherewith, each reiector -1 is equipped with an arm 3 Whose free end is bent to form a hook 4.

Coacting with the eyes 2, is a plurality of hooks 5 which are here shown as disposed at the upper sides of the openings O and as formed of tongues left projecting into sai'd openings when the same are formed in the face plate. As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the eyes 2 receive therein the hooks 5 when the reflectors are to be applied to use, while the hooks 44 are received in eyes 6 formed .in rearwardly q extending tongues which are likewise left extending into the openings O when the latter are formed. B-y this manner of attaching the reiectors, it will be evident that although theymay be quickly and easilyy applied, they willbe reliably held in correct position. Furthermore, the attaching meansis so simple as to allow unskilled laborers to correctly position the reflectors with respect to the numer-` closed in Fig. 2 whereby, when applying the reflectors, by simply passing the e es 2 over the hooks 5, and snapping the hoo s 4 in the eyes 6 such reflectors will'be properly positloned at the correct angle to the face plate without making any adjustments whatsoever. In most cases, lit becomes expedient to provide a transparent closure for the several openings O to preventI the entrance of dust and the like, and although such closures might well Vbe in a number of forms, they are preferably embodied as shown 1n the drawings in which is depicted a plurality of transparent plates 7 of circular contour, said plates being constructed of glass, mica, celluloid or any other appropriate transparent material. At diametrically opposite points, the plates 7 are provided with slots 8 in their edge portions receiving therein the hooks 5 and the tongues in which the eyes 6 are formed. By this arrangement, 'whenthe reflectors l1 are properly positioned, the lens plates will be reliably held against dislocation, it being thus evident that although the construction is exceedingly simple, it will be highly efficient.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a pair of hooks 5a and 5b is shown disposed at diametrically opposite points adjacent the edge of the opening O in the plate P, such hooks being passed through eyes 6a and y6b in a frusto-conical reflector la which is preferably corrugated circumferentially, the opening O being closed, in these figures, by an appropriate lens 9 having a circular enlargement 10 which closely abuts the wall of the opening O, and a flange 11 ywhich is interposed between the inner side of the plate P and the reflector la. The rear contracted end of the reector la is provided on one of its sides with a hook 5 and at a diametrically opposite point with an eye 6c the former being` received in an eye 2c on the upper edge of a reflector lb similar to the reflectors 1; pre-- viously described, said reflector `l`l'b having on its. lower edge a laterally extending arm 3 having its terminal bentl to form a hook flreceiv'ed by the eye 6.k The-only difference between the reflectors '1 "and", 1b is that the latter kare preferably provided with parallel corrugations to intensify the light rays reflected therefrom.

The active facesof all ofthe reflectors are to be silver or nickel-plated, and the inner side of the casing C will be preferably painted a light color, theseprovisions being obviously made to increase materially the brilliancy of the rays projected from the rom the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be evident that although comparativelysimple and inexpensive construction has been provided for the attainment of the desired results, the invention will be highly efficient and durable and will possess a number of advantageous characteristics.

lsa

In the drawing, certain specific details of construction have been illustrated and in the preceding we have rather specifically, described such details, but it is to be understood formed through its upper edge portion andl snuglyv receiving said hook therein.

2. The combination with the face plate of a sign box having a light passage therethrough, of an obliquely disposed reflector in rear of said passage, and interengaging hooks and eyes carried by the face plate and reflector and securing opposite edges of said l reflector to said face plate.

3. The combination with the face plate of a sign box having a light passage therethrough, of a hook contiguous to one side of said passage, an eye adjacent the opposite side thereof, a reflector in rearof said passage having an eye at one edge receiving the aforesaid hook, and a hook on the opposite edge of said reflector received by the first named eye.

'4. The combination with the face plate of a sign box having a light passage therethrough, of a. hook contiguous to one Side of said passage, an eye adjacent the opposite side thereof, an obliquely disposed reflector in rear of the passage having an eye at one edge receiving the aforesaid hook therein, and an arm extending laterally from the opposite edge of said reflector and having at its free end a hook received by the first named eye.

5. The combination with the face plate of Vasign box having a light passage therethrough, of a hook contiguous to one side of said passage, an eye adjacent the opposite side thereof, an obliquely disposed disklike reflector in rear of the passage and having in one edge an opening forming an eye receiving therein the aforesaid hook, and an arm formed integrally with the opposite edge of said reflector, extending laterally therefrom toward the face plate and having its free end formed into a hook received in the first named eye.

6. The combination with the face plate of a sign box having a light passage therethrough, of a hook adjacent one sideI of said passage and extending rearwardly therefrom, a transparent plate having an opening through which the hook passes, and a reflector in rear of the transparent plate having an eye receiving the hook therein.

7 The combination with the face plate of a sign box having a light passage therethrough, of a hook adjacent one side of Said passage and extending rearwardly therefrom, an eye adjacent the opposite side of the passage and likewise lextending reareye project, an obliquely disposedreflectorA wardly. therefrom, 'a transparent plate having openings through which the hook and in rear Aof thevtransparent plate and having at oneedge anv eye receiving the hook, land an arm projecting laterally from the oppo` site edge of .saidreflector toward the transfparent plate and jhaving its reeend shaped to form a hook-received inthe first vnamed eye.

- 8. 'The combination with the upright face plate of a sign box having alight ypassage therethrough, of-a hook adjacent and eX-v.

` tending upwardly :from the upper side of plate of a sign boxhavin a lig therethrough, oan incline reflector in rear,` .h 'l of saidgpassageand havinfitsup'per edgel 25.. disposedconti'guousto;the' ace (plate,'a'hook 'said passage, an .incline d reiector in rear of the` face plate havingm its upper edge- `an eye receiving the .hook therein, and; a

spacing arm joined to the reflector and' eX- tending from the lower edge thereof to'wardf the-face plate.

11 e. AThe.combinanien with the urighufa t passagel and eye connection between sai of the.refiector andthe face' plate, and an arm joined permanently to the reflector and extendin from the llower y. edge thereof 4 10E. The'combination with the upright face plate of a'fsgnbox having a light I )assagel v upper edge therethrough, inclined reflector in rear .of the passage andlh'avin'g its' upper edge disposedv contiguous to the face plate, a d etachable connection between said up'per edge of the reflector and the face plate, a

spacing arm extending-from the lower edge 0f said reflector toward the face plate, and an additional detachableconnection between said. arm and the face plate. y

11. The combination with a sign boxhaving therein asource of light and provided with a` faceplate having an alined series vof light passages therethrough, of hooks projecting inwardly contiguous to the sides of the'passagesremote from the source .of.light,

eyes contiguous to the opposite sides of said ps'iss'ages,l oblique reflectors in rear of the passages and disposed at Avarious 'angles in respectto the faceplate, said reflectors having in :one edge eyes which receive the aforeeach..relector, and hooks on the free ends :of saidja-rlns` received in the rst named 'i sald hooks, spacingarms at various`- lengths `Inojecting'one from the' opposite edge of 

